In remarks delivered at an event hosted by Lambda Legal, U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder took aim at the Boy Scouts of America and called the ban on gay adults “a relic of an age of prejudice and insufficient understanding.”

He said the BSA’s refusal to allow gay and lesbian adults to serve as scout leaders “perpetuates the worst kind of stereotypes.”

Referencing the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” Holder said that “courageous lesbian, gay, and bisexual individuals routinely put their lives on the line” in the U.S. armed forces, and that “if these men and women are fit for military service, then surely they are fit to mentor, to teach, and to serve as role models for the leaders of future generations.”

Last year, the Boy Scouts of America’s national council voted to allow openly gay youths to join the organization, but has maintained its prohibition on gay adult leaders.